Ang Mahiyaing Manok by Rebecca T. Anonuevo

 

Author: Rebecca T. Anonuevo

Illustrator: Ruben de Jesus

This short children's story 'Ang Mahiyaing Manok' is written by Rebecca T. Anonuevo, targeting young readers ranging from 3 to 9 years old. This story suits the audience pretty well. It taught the young readers how to have the courage to achieve self-improvement.

 

'Ang Mahiyaing Manok,' each character plays an essential role in the main character's milestone. But among all the characters, the mother of Onyok [main character] plays a significant role in his achievement.

 

The short story is presented through a short paragraph with a third-person limited point of view. It follows the plotting of man in a hole, in which the story revolves in the main character overcoming his internal conflict till he wins it.

 

Some of the events may not sound plausible, it's a fictional story, but the essential part is the lesson it brought to the young readers. The story has a theme of courage and self-development. It is meaningful and relevant to target audiences.

 

My Say:

I really love this short story. I love its length-short but interestingly enough to entertain me. I can relate to the main character's central conflict. And I love how the supporting characters support the main character to overcome his [Onyok] fear. In life, we need social support to grow.

 

Story glance:

There was a young chicken named Onyok. He couldn't cry cock-a-doodle-doo like the other older roosters. He was so shy, and only a sound of cough was what he could do. But one day, something sweet changed him and encouraged him to spread his wings. 

Sweetie You can Read it here:

     https://vdocuments.mx/ang-mahiyaing-manok.html

Is the Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There is?

 

                 

 

Author: Robert E. Wells

Illustrator: Robert E. Wells

“Is the Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There Is?” is a nonfictional picture book. This picture book of Robert E. Wells is best for children aged eight up to 13 years old. The purpose of this picture book is to share cosmical knowledge entertainingly.

This picture book is informative, accurate, complete, theoretically founded, engaging, and impressive writing style.

It presents well-organized ideas and is structured to suit the intended audience. It raised questions to stimulate consciousness, and this is a practical approach when the audience is children to stimulate their imagination.

The picture book’s formatting is attractive and reader-friendly, font style and the word’s presentation complemented together to read with enjoyment.

 

My Say:

"Is the Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There Is?" Oh, how I like this picture book. Well, to tell you frankly, I am childish. Though I am not a teen anymore, I still get enchanted to read books like this. I'm in college currently, but there is fundamental knowledge about our universe that, by the passing of times, I have forgotten already. Thanks to this children's picture book, I was refreshed with those essential facts. 

Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay

Author: Randy Ribay

Illustrator: Jor Ros

Patron Saints of Nothing is a work by Randy Ribay. It has the theme of compassion, communication, curiosity, and courage. It aims to spread awareness to parents that there is something that their children need that money can’t buy. Randy Ribay’s Patron Saints of Nothing is a compelling tale of a 17-year-old Filipino American, Jay Reguero, seeking justice for his cousin’s death in the Philippines. This novel is appropriate to readers with ages ranging from 14 and above.

The literary quality of Patron Saints of Nothing is fantastic. It has a good narrative, applying the traditional style in composing novels, language patterns are understandable to the readers and aptly contextual, and characters are well-developed throughout the book. The setting in the story was paid in great importance and evoked a vivid historical time consistent with historical and geographical evidence. It has a timely theme in which the present generation has given the privilege to be kept on the novel’s happenings. It echoes more significant historical concerns and is pivotal to the current society. The plot is well-organized and based on accurate facts. 

 

Patron Saints of Nothing is culturally authentic. The novel’s events have been happening in the real world, reflecting the featured place’s culture, beliefs, and practices. This novel presents social issues in which the judgment of validity is up to the reader. Two sides are being introduced in the book. Hence the audiences are given a chance to choose what to believe. 

My Say:

This novel has a heartrending message. I couldn’t imagine how it profoundly touched me. There is a part of it that I can bet that you will surely cry. The ending is unpredictable. While on my reading, I can hardly guess what comes next; this has stimulated my curiosity to read further until I reach the last piece of it. Then, when I finished reading the novel, I found myself missing the characters. For three days, we’d been together. I just felt like I was with the characters physically.

The reading experience was so fun. You will feel mixed emotions with this and be surprised by the twist. May God bless your reading. Have fun with Patron Saint of Nothing.  

Story Glance:

Jayson Reguero, a Filipino- American teenager, is in extreme boredom with his life. One morning, he keeps himself occupied playing online. Then out of the blue, his father enters his room with the news that leads him to a journey of seeking truth. Can Jason find the truth?

 

Sweetie You Can Read it Here:

https://booksvooks.com/patron-saints-of-nothing-pdf-randy-ribay.html#chapterlist

The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney

                                                                      

                                                             

Author: Andrea Davis Pinkney

Illustrator: Shane W. Evans

The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney is fictional literature with an intended audience of 13 to 17 years old. This story aims to present what war is and any societal problem will look like in a child’s eye.

 

This novel present’s an inspiring life of a Sudanese girl. I love how the author developed the characters. They have behaved consistently, which makes the story believable because they reflect the same truth in the real world.

 

The beginning chapters may seem unrelated to what the story is all about, but I’m impressed with how the author organized the plot in that way. Each chapter has a pivotal role to built the whole novel successfully, supporting each event to keep the reader in its context. The language pattern is friendly to all readers, with a word choice that suits the story’s period, place, and intended audience.

 Pinkney employs subtle strokes to build interesting characters via the poetry of their observations and the poignancy of their situations, telling her narrative in first-person verse. This flowing and straightforward narrative of displacement in a complicated, war-torn country strikes precisely the perfect tone for middle-grade readers. The spirit and yearnings of Amira, the sincere heroine, are captured in Evans' fundamental illustrations.

The novel’s style is not in traditional form. It used stanza rather than prose. No chapter number is being displayed, and there are times that words are structured to form a particular figure. This novel has a theme of optimism, compassion, and courage.

 

MY SAY:

The Red Pencil had left me with incredible emotions. This story is such a soulful one, and you will surely love the character of Amira, her courage, optimism, and sweet personality. There are more characters that you will surely love. Through this story, I got acquainted with the culture in Sudan. Reading novels is not just reading; it is also a way of learning. This story sounds so real to me. It captures the magic of possibility despite difficulties.

Story Glance:

Amira Bright has a dream; a dream that is life-transforming. But her traditional mother doesn't feel good about it, while Dando and old Anwar supported her. An incident happens that totally changes their family's way of living. Now, they are living far from South Darfur, living in a place where hope is blurred. Is there any hope for her to reach her dream?

Sweetie You can Read Here:

http://findmedianow.com/book80.php?asin=0316247820

https://booksvooks.com/the-red-pencil-pdf-andrea-davis-pinkney.html#chapterlist

Thomas Edison: A Graphic Biography

 

                                                   Author: Saddleback Educational Publishing

                                             Illustrator: Saddleback Educational Publishing

Thomas Edison: A Graphic Biography’ by Saddleback Educational Publishing has an intended audience from 4th - 9th  grade, to instill the essence of hard work in our youth.

Let’s evaluate first the accuracy. It has not provided any source. Thus, I can’t attest to the validity of its content. Not until I searched on google to know his life and inventions. I found the book of Martin, F. L., & Dyer, T. C. (2019) Edison, His Life, and Inventions which supported some of its content, such as his magnificent works on telegraphy. This biography should have included the sources of its information.

The portrayal of the subject is well-developed and multidimensional. The strength and weaknesses of Thomas, though not directly stated, are manifested noticeably in the story. Losing a loved one is his weakness. And he excelled in math, science, planning, etc. He is a well-determined, focused, and goal-oriented inventor.

I like the writing style,  comprehensive and engaging. The target readers won’t find it hard to decipher. The dialogue reflects the period of Thomas. In the part where Thomas asked Mary to marry him and, he sounded so bold. Perhaps, that's their way of proposing.

Anyway, the whole piece has a unifying theme: hard work and determination. These support the special qualities of Thomas. He managed to conquer the disparaging comments and was able to carry out smoothly what he had in mind.

Finally, the illustration has a comic style. So far, the illustrations are aptly presented. It successfully makes a distinguishable figure of Thomas, that despite in the crowd of men, I can still recognize Thomas. 

My say:

What an inspiring life of the legendary Thomas Edison had partaken into our world; his story excites my brain cells to think of things I could do for my community and my country as a whole. I love how this graphic biography portrays his life entertainingly. Sometimes, reading a biography is quite boring, but not this time. I love the illustration and much love for the content.

 

 

Story Glance:

There is a child born into a family of no ordinary, and this child is extraordinary. Being born with an unusual head-size for an infant, the big head of this baby gives an inkling glimpse of what future this baby would have. The child has a secret, a very special one. This secret within makes him different from any other kid. The top-secret of this child gives light to the darkest night. What secret would that be?

 

SWEETIE, YOU CAN ACCESS IT HERE:

https://www.sdlback.com/thomas-edison/saddleback-educational-publishing-hi-lo-books

Ang Pitong Tanga by Severino Reyes

 

Author: Severino Reyes

Illustrator: Ruben de Jesus

The children's nonfictional book "Ang Pitong Tanga" was initially written by  Severino Reyes, with an intended audience, the children.

 

The story's accuracy gets a fair rate on me. I find the content implausible. I doubt if there are people like the seven idiots in the story. Well, if there are, the name idiot doesn't fit. The characters are not idiots rather mentally ill. For example, when Agogong got into a fight with his own shadow on the wheel. What he was doing is far beyond idiots-lunatic.

 

The story has successfully shown the author's expertise in the style and simplicity of the words yet powerful. But when we are talking about documentation, I am not convinced if the basis of the story is a factual account.

 

Organization, the story has followed the basic plotting style and was aptly organized to the intended audience- the kids. The exposition consisted of the characters' introduction, the setting, and the problem. Young readers can comprehend the story with ease because it uses simple terms.

 

The aspect that gets the highest appeal on me is the design. The illustrator has not failed to catch the audience's attention. The images are all parallel to what is written on the page.

 

Lastly, the style of the story is fair enough to entertain the audience. I can tell that there's the enthusiasm with how the author describes the subjects. Technical terms such as "Tandang" and "Aling" are presented understandably.

 

All in all, the story is very entertaining. But at the end, the reader will indeed feel pity for Tandang Nano and be annoyed by the seven idiots.

My Say:

Among all the stories I read, this one is the funniest. I bet your stomach will surely hurt laughing at the seven idiot characters of this short story.

 

Story Glance:

There are seven idiots in the town in Cagayan of Luzon. All the people in their village feel so pity for their foolishness. And here comes, Tandang Nano who courageously tried to help these seven morons. Will Tandang Nano be successful?

 

SWEETIE YOU CAN READ IT HERE:

https://arete.ateneo.edu/assets/site/02-Ang-Pitong-Tanga-Full-Text.pdf

Charlotte's Web by E.B White

Author: E.B White

Illustrator: Garth William

Charlotte’s Web, a children’s book by E.B White, emphasized what a true friendship should look like.

The story happened in the barn, a dwelling place of diverse creatures. These creatures are playfully characterized with realistic attributes close to their nature in the real world. Their distinct attitudes make them sound more fantastic: Charlotte, a clever and selfless friend, Wilbur, a sad yet playful pig, Chossy Lamb, Templeton, a self-centered glutton rat, etc. Characters are also multidimensional; for instance, Templeton, though seen as bad, a tiny part of him is good.

 

 The story follows the typical flow of plotting. It began by showing how Wilbur existed. Next, it presented the conflicts and ended with a beautiful resolution. Wilbur happily lives in the barn with the other animals and the babies of his best friend, Charlotte.

 

The story is a fable with an omniscient point of view. The story’s flow is exciting and shares scientific knowledge.

The story has plausible events, sensible arguments, and realistic problems though the solution doesn’t seem real. The story includes juvenile-related events, making it more interesting for children: ‘fair,’ etc. Charlotte weaving letters is the apparent imaginative event. It is consistently fantastic from the beginning of Charlotte’s work up to the last chapter. Weaving letters to impress the people for Wilbur’s credit.

The novel has a theme of friendship. It is meaningful and relevant to target audiences’ age. It values friendship, a significant ingredient in our life.

The entire story uses simple English-structured sentences, decipherable terms for kids. Its illustration, though simple and not colored it doesn’t degrade the story. Simple yet beautiful. 

My  Say:

I can tell that this book is one of the best books about friendship. I admire the loyalty and the bond of friendship in this novel. This novel suits to its intended audience, in which it suggests how an ideal friendship should. I am so glad to have known the characters. I have learned lessons from each of them.

 

 

Story Glances:

Wilbur is lying still, bored, sad in the mud, lonely, and longing for someone. But no one comes, and no one wants to play with him. No one wants to talk with him. He is a playful pig but placed in a place, where no one has a vibe. But out of the darkness, he hears a little sound that changes his life and fate for the better. 

SWEETIE READ THE STORY HERE: 

https://cleveracademy.vn/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Charlotte_s_Web_.pdf